Protective
by EternalAmaterasu
Summary: "Please tell me you didn't set a man's car on fire just to stop him from groping me."


**This is a re-upload from my other account which I am unfortunately no longer able to use. I apologize to everyone who reviewed/favorited this story last time, would really appreciate it if you could do so again if its not too much trouble. God bless you guys!**

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><p>Riza grimaced, withstanding the urge to reach for her gun as she tried to force some distance between herself and the perspiring officer.<p>

Why, out of all the brightly accoutred generals' daughters and female personnel at the function, did this higher-level pervert have to land his eyes on her? Especially when she'd made her loathsome feelings towards being in this tense, heated atmosphere of stately officers and their dance partners so obvious in the first place. Sure it was just another con of the job, but the trail of his warm, unwanted hands slinking down her waist made it all the harder not to shoot him and cause a catastrophe during one of Amestris' most crucial deals in its recent alliance with Creta.

As the smell of alcohol drifted through the chaffed lips of the Cretan general and his sweaty palms slunk further down her sides, Riza began to have second thoughts. It wouldn't do to make a scene here, but with her clearly thrown hints of rejection thus far having no effect on getting the greasy old man to back off, she was becoming more tempted by the second. He may be ranks above her but she highly doubted he could rival her dexterity at handling firearms. Perhaps it wouldn't become an international disaster if she managed to do so inconspicuously…

Her mind roving into analytical soldier mode, Riza didn't notice the tall, raven-haired figure treading through the zone of dancing couples towards her until he was standing directly behind the general, one hand tightly gripping the man's shoulder.

"Forgive me for interrupting, sir." Her commander's tone held an annoyance as he gave a short, stiff salute to the higher-ranking officer who finally let go of her and turned around to face him.

Riza felt immense relief and a familiar warmness spread through her body as she watched her rescuer eyeing the towering soldier, his expression disguising a subtle bitterness that only she would have noticed beneath the depths of his dark eyes.

"And you would be…?" the Cretan general asked with irritation, leering over the rank insignia on the shoulder of his dress uniform.

"Colonel Roy Mustang. Am I speaking to Lieutenant General Conway?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"I was asked to relay an urgent message to you, sir. Apparently your car has caught fire, hence the commotion outside."

"It _WHAT?!"_ Conway glanced towards the main entrance behind Roy's head, his eyes widening comically.

Indeed, through the large gap between its open doors, a horde of spectators could be seen gathering at the end of the filled parking space. The general dashed across the hall without another word, his form quickly blending into the crowd of dancers ahead.

Riza watched him disappear with a mixture of suspicion and solace, before looking up at her commanding officer who was wearing a crafty grin. She opened her mouth to scold him or thank him or tease him for his gallant act of rescue - she wasn't quite sure which one - but was beat to it when Roy offered her his arm.

"Shall we?"

He stepped closer and took her right hand in his left, pulling her body against his. Riza blushed when her free arm moved of its own accord to rest on his shoulder, and Roy's grin broadened as he lead them into a dance.

"You look beautiful," he couldn't stop himself saying, his dark eyes trailing over her dress for a moment before locking with her own.

Riza averted her gaze to their feet as a deeper shade of scarlet tinted her face, and shifted her focus to stepping in time with the music. Though dancing didn't have its own place on her impressive list of talents, Roy's guiding was very good, and moving her body in sync with his seemed to come only naturally under his leading. Or perhaps it was because of the way his strongly-built physique fitted with her smaller form, his shoulders just the right height for her hand to rest upon without any strain to her arm, and her waist dipping down with the perfect amount of space for his own hand to support.

She smiled, looking back at him with a slight air of surprise.

"Growing up with three sisters has its benefits," he said, reading her expression. "I must say though, Lieutenant, you're footwork is pretty good."

"Must come from being a soldier," Riza replied. "Keeping in a constant rhythm is surprisingly much easier than focusing on a single mark."

"You're comparing dancing to _target practice?"_

"Well, it does require a complete opposite set of coordination, but both skills come in useful in their own way."

Roy shook his head in amusement. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Neither do you, sir." Riza ignored the growing heat as he gently spun her counter-clockwise with the music. "Don't get me wrong, I _am_ thrilled that you came to my rescue, but please tell me you didn't set a man's car on fire just to stop him from groping me."

A look of pretend shock danced across Roy's face. "I would never do such a thing."

She rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. "And you didn't think I could handle it, sir?"

He gave her a calculating look. "Too right, Lieutenant... Perhaps _he_ was the one I saved after all. I wouldn't be surprised if you were hiding a pair of pistols under that dress."

Riza bit back her smirk.

"Just how many guns are you carrying for that matter?"

"Five."

Roy arched an eyebrow. "_Five? _Isn't that a little excessive, even for _you?"_

"You can never be too careful. Especially at diplomatic events such as these where fresh alliances have just been established and the most important men in the country are required to attend… And speaking of careful," she added at the look on his face, "_You_ need to take more caution when it comes to your actions, Colonel. It's pretty obvious things don't just catch alight on their own, you're lucky my offender was from Creta."

"Wouldn't have mattered if he was an Amestrian," Roy muttered darkly. "Actually, I would have preferred to burn _him_ to a crisp. Almost did too, seeing him run his filthy hands all over you. I couldn't help feeling…"

He hesitated, wondering whether he was going too far. He wanted to say so much more, _do_ so much more – he wanted to pull Riza against him to the point where they were as close as humanly possible and he wanted to kiss the life out of her. But simply dancing together was probably already causing enough murmuring amongst their co-workers; anything more would lead to a serious breach in work ethics.

"Jealous and protective?" Riza offered.

He sighed. "More angry that he had you there in his clutches like-... or yeah, a little jealous and protective, I guess you could say that."

"Well, I was never _his_ to have, sir."

They searched each other's eyes for a moment, then she rested her chin on his shoulder as the music slowed, and they both blushed slightly. "I already belonged to someone else tonight," she added in a whisper, loud enough only for him to hear.

Roy grinned, closing his eyes as her hair grazed his cheek.

Tonight…

Just tonight.

To everyone else in the room, they were just another pair of officers sharing a rare moment of intimacy while the music played on. Nobody noticed the soft smile hover on her lips when he lifted her onto his feet, or his protective embrace tighten as she tucked her arm more firmly behind his neck.

Tonight he was able to hold her close to him, to breathe in the fragrant scent of her hair as her head rested comfortably on his shoulder, and feel the warmth of her body pressed against his with his arm securely around her.

Tomorrow, restricted formalities would be up again and all would go back to usual routine. Another day of building foundations, of working towards goals, of _waiting._

But for tonight, it was enough.


End file.
